Yeah, creating a character in this way makes more sense. OWI are trying to make the game very advanced but simple & easy to play, so it better suits the game and what they hope to achieve. Personally I am pleased that characters can be upgraded in this way.
I guess as Abe develops spiritually, so does his ability to upgrade characters, allowing him to upgrade more characters and make them more advanced & stronger.
I think Abe could be able to upgrade glukkons, but I don't think he'd be able to upgrade sligs. The slig would have to stand near the shrine while you chant to upgrade him. The slig would NOT do this. He would shoot/beat Abe on site or if he could not see Abe, he would run. As I see it, the only way he could change enemies like this was if they were trapped/sleeping/injured and Abe was in a position where they could not attack him, ie - out of range.
I think this is an exciting and valuable addition to the game and can't wait to try it out.
